E3 has kicked off this evening with EA Play 2018.

Battlefield 5

DICE came on stage to tell us more about the next Battlefield game. The single player will have a greater focus on “real and untold” stories, based on the ordinary people of the second world war.

In what will unlikely surprise anybody, Battlefield 5 is also jumping on the battle royale bandwagon. DICE promises it’ll be different, but we’ll have to wait until later in the year to find out more.

Oh, and there’s apparently no loot boxes, and no premium pass. The crowd cheered.

Fifa 19

Hey, a football game! This is new!

Two producers appear on stage with the EUFA Champions cup. Er, is that allowed? Is that thing real?

Anyway, EUFA Champions League is coming to Fifa 19. There’s going to be a Champions League story mode, as well as Champions League content in Ultimate Team.

Oh, and the current Fifa 18 is available to trial for free for a limited time right now, so if you want to get in on some World Cup action, have at it.

Origin Access Premier

All the new PC games, starting with Madden NFL 19 and Fifa 19, Battlefield V and Anthem, will be available in a premium version of EA’s subscription membership. There’ll also be access to the Vault, with over 100 games. It’ll launch later this summer. One month will cost £15, or you can pay £90 for a year. If you’re the type of person who buys two or three EA games a year, then that’s actually a steal.

And for everyone else, there’s a free trial of the existing Origin Access this weekend, which grants access to a hefty library of past EA releases.

Jedi Fallen Order

We didn’t see anything, but words about a new Star Wars game, Jedi Fallen Order were spoken. It’s to be dark, set between Episode 3 and 4. It’s coming “holiday 2019”.

Star Wars Battlefront II

Ewok Hunt is coming to Star Wars Battlefront II. There’s also a new squad system coming, allowing you easier access to team up with friends. There’ll also be a new multiplayer sandbox experience coming later in the year.

New heroes, villians and planets based on Clone Wars will also be coming this year. Obi Wan and General Grievous, along with Count Dooku and Anakin Skywalker will be included in that new lineup.

Unravel 2

Remember Yarny? He’s getting a sequel!

It’s no surprise, considering Unravel, EA’s first foray into indie publishing was a big hit back in 2016. Unlike the first game, Unravel 2 has a focus on co-op – Yarny has a blue friend! It looks just as sweet as the first.

Oh, and IT’S OUT TODAY. Whaaaat!

Sea of Solitude

Sea of Solitude – or SoS – is a new indie game from EA Originals, EA’s indie arm. It’s the story of Kate, a young woman struggling with personal demons. I’ll let the trailer speak for itself, though. It’s due out early next year.

EA Sports

The new release in EA’s annual basketball game, NBA Live 19, got a new trailer.

That was followed up by Madden NFL 19.

Command & Conquer Rivals

We saw some folks play a mobile RTS for a few minutes before – gasp – revealing it was the latest iteration of Command & Conquer.

It’s coming to Android and iOS soon, but there’s a beta version available on Android right now.

Anthem

Okay, Anthem has gone up tenfold in my estimation from the use of a Muse song in its trailer.

Members of the development team got on stage for a “deep dive” into the game. Lots of buzz words were thrown around – “dynamic and living world”, “something new and different”, “feeling the story is about you“.

There was a lot of talk, but eventually some gameplay was shown off. We also got a release date: 22nd February 2019 on PS4, Xbox One and PC.